Image:Ex_congreso_national_santiago_de_chile_zootalures.jpg The '''Former National Congress''' Building (''ex Congreso Nacional'') is the former home of the Chilean Congress. Congress met in this building in central Santiago until Salvador_Allende's socialist government was overthrown by Augusto_Pinochet's military coup d'état on September_11, 1973. During the Pinochet dictatorship, Congress was moved to new premises in Valparaíso; the old building was declared a national monument in 1976 and between 1990 and 2006 housed the ministry of foreign affairs. The Senate moved its offices in Santiago to this building in December 2000. On January 26, 2006 the Chamber of Deputies recovered its old offices. Work began on the original building under President Manuel_Montt_Torres (1851–1861), but the construction was not completed until 1876, during the presidency of Federico_Errázuriz_Zañartu. The building was destroyed by fire in 1895, rebuilt, and reopened in 1901. It stands on Morandé 441 near the Blvd. Liberador Bernado O'Higgins, amidst a remarkable garden that contains a variety of exotic trees and plant life. The building is open to the public on a limited basis. Image:Former_chamber_congress_santiago_chile_zootalures.jpg Category:Legislative_buildings Category:Buildings_and_structures_in_Chile Category:Santiago